What Is To Come
by pupeez4eva
Summary: Steve finds a strange disc in his room, and the Avengers learn horrifying truths about S.H.I.E.L.D, and a deadly assassin named the Winter Soldier. An "Avengers Watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier" fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

"Alright, which one is this?" Steve asked, wondering into the room. "That War in the Stars movie Tony keeps mentioning — "

" _Star Wars,_ _"_ Tony interjected. "Which is amazing by the way — _War in the Stars_ on the other hand sounds absolutely terrible. See _this_ is why we need to educate the man — right Bruce?"

Bruce glanced up, and shrugged. "I guess." He glanced at Steve. "You want to watch a movie now?"

Steve frowned slightly. "Well, I found this in my room," he said, lifting a small disc. "Tony, you could have just given it to me in person, you didn't have to sneak it into my room."

Tony stared. "Uh, Capsicle, I did _not_ put that in your room."

Steve blinked. "You didn't?" There was a note of disbelief in his voice. "Er — Bruce, did you…?"

"No." Bruce shook his head. "Maybe Natasha or Clint — ?"

It didn't seem likely that either of them would have done it — it was far more likely that they'd simply mention the movie in passing — but it certainly wasn't going to be _Thor,_ so Steve didn't see any other option. He left it on the table, and went to pour himself a mug of coffee.

"We should watch it," Tony suggested. "I'm bored as hell, and I want to do _something._ What movie is it?"

"I don't know," Steve replied, taking a seat at the table. "It doesn't say."

Tony squinted at him. "It should say the disc — _read the words on the disc._ Do you know how to do that?"

Steve glared. _"_ _Yes_ I do actually — but it's blank. There's no writing on it."

Bruce's brow furrowed, and he glanced at it. "Are you sure thats a DVD?" he asked. "It could just be a blank CD."

Steve shrugged. "I just assumed one of you had put it there — everyone keeps mentioning all these films I need to see. I assumed you'd gotten sick of waiting for me to watch them, and decided to speed up the process."

"Okay, mystery DVD, great! Now I'm curious!" Tony announced, grinning enthusiastically, and clapped his hands together. "Let's play it and find out what it is! Maybe it's porn!"

Bruce winced. "I doubt it."

"Great if it was though. Watching porn with grandpa over here — great start to the day, don't you think?" Tony shot Steve a gleeful stare, and the other male glared back in annoyance.

"It's just a movie," Steve groused. "Or maybe it's blank. We'll watch it now and find out."

"Great, movie time!" Tony grabbed the disc and headed towards the TV room. Bruce followed, and Steve — after sighing loudly, and wondering why he hadn't just kept quiet, and watched the movie in his own time — followed after them.

"Anyone see Natasha and Clint?" Tony asked, as the television screen lit up. "I know Thor said he'd show up a bit later, but I thought the two of them would be in the tower today."

Neither Steve nor Bruce replied, and Tony shrugged. "Eh, their loss, I guess. They're missing out on some _great_ team bonding time!"

Tony threw himself onto a nearby couch, and Bruce and Steve followed. Steve turned his gaze to the television, curious about what they'd be watching. These modern-day films were still a marvel to him, so _different_ from what he'd been used to growing up. He truly did enjoy watching them (though he'd usually do so on his own).

Steve watched as a series of animated images flashed across the screen.

"Marvel Studios," Tony murmured, reading the words on the screen. His brow furrowed. "Never heard of them in my life — dammit, maybe this is some weird, independent film. _Goddammit,_ I was hoping for something to kill the time."

"It's starting," Bruce interrupted.

Steve hoped Tony wouldn't be talking the entire time. So far, he didn't seem like the best person to be watching a movie with.

The three of them watched as two figures appeared on the screen, surrounded by a large, vivid background. As they jogged, the camera zoomed in, until soon their faces came into clear view —

"Um." Tony blinked. _"_ _What?_ _"_

Well, that was one way to put it.

"Steve," Bruce said, while Steve stared at the television screen in confusion, "that's _you._ _"_

…

 **AN:**

 **So, after numerous desperate searches to find a fanfic where the characters watch the Winter Soldier movie, and only finding one so far, I decided to write one myself. Because I love these type of fics, and I just REALLY want more stories where the avengers watch this movie.**

 **(Does anyone know of any? Because if you could recommend some, I would seriously love you forever).**

 **Anyway, tell me what you think! Thor, Clint and Natasha will be coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

Steve knew mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't help it. Of all the things he'd expected to see on the television screen, his own face wasn't one of them. Sure, there were plenty of instances when he'd ended up on camera, both during the war, and in modern time. And if it were any of those settings — an interview maybe, or even a quick video from someone's phone — Steve would have been fine with it. But this…not only was this in perfect quality, but it had _never happened._ That was him on the screen, jogging behind a man who he also didn't recognise (and yet, who his movie counterpart seemed to know), and Steve was 100% certain that, unless he'd experienced a random bout of amnesia between now and then, none of this had ever happened.

"Pause it," he said.

Tony blinked. "What?"

" _Pause it,_ _"_ Steve repeated firmly.

Tony's eyebrows raised slightly, but he complied. He then glanced at Steve, his head cocked to the side. "Where'd this come from?" he asked. "I didn't even know you went jogging — and seriously, you're making new friends, and you haven't introduced me yet? I'm hurt Cap, I am well and truly hurt."

"Shut _up_ Stark," Steve hissed, feeling panic clawing at him. "This never happened!"

Tony stared. "Uh…"

"Steve are you alright?" Bruce asked, concerned. "Is this something we should be worried about? Maybe…something that shouldn't have been caught on camera?"

Tony snorted. "When you put it like that it just sounds dirty. And I don't think 'dirty' is a word I'd associate with Grandpa Capsicle over there."

"I don't know what's on there, Bruce," Steve replied, pointedly ignoring Tony. "I don't know, because…this _never happened._ _"_ He glanced back at the screen — the scene was frozen on the two joggers.

Bruce frowned. "I'm not sure I understand what you're saying," he said slowly. "That's you on the screen — "

"Bruce, I have no idea who that man is," Steve said, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "And — and I don't even go jogging! I'm sure I'd remember if this had happened!"

"What's going on?"

Steve glanced up — Natasha and Clint stood in the doorway. Clint looked curious, while Natasha studied their expressions warily.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, tensed.

"Yeah, Cap's gone crazy," Tony replied. "We're watching this movie, and suddenly he pops up — and hey, I'm just sitting here, hoping to get some leverage against him, but suddenly he's going on about how _'_ _this never happened_ _'…_ and, anyway, I'm just hoping there's something really _good_ on this thing."

Natasha ignored Tony, and stared directly at Steve. "You say there's something weird about this?" she questioned.

Steve shrugged, feeling unsettled. "I found this in my room," he said. "You — neither of you left a disc in there, did you?"

They're confused expressions told him everything he needed to know.

"So what, it's a movie about you?" Clint asked, glancing at the screen. His brow was furrowed.

"I don't know what it's about," Steve replied. "But — that's me on the screen, and I'm almost certain that this never happened."

Natasha stared at the television screen for a few moments, and then turned to Tony.

"Turn it back on," she said.

Tony shrugged, and reached for the remote. Natasha glanced at Steve, and her expression softened.

"It can't hurt to keep watching," she told him. "Maybe it'll give us some clue about what this is."

Clint walked over and sat down next to Bruce. The couch sank under the weight, and Steve shifted uncomfortably at the sudden proximity. Natasha took one look at the crowded couch, and opted to sit on the floor.

"Right," Tony said cheerfully. "Here's to hoping for some good blackmail material."

Steve shot him a glare, and Tony held up his hands in mock-surrender. Clint snorted and snatched the remote out of his hands, restarting the movie.

" _ **Need a medic?**_ _ **"**_ _ **the Steve on the screen asked the unfamiliar man.**_

Steve's eyes widened slightly. It was unnerving to watch this. Watching a video of himself would have been awkward enough as it was, especially with his teammates surrounding him, but watching events playing out that he couldn't remember happening…it just felt _strange._

 _ **The other man sat under a tree, and let out a laugh.**_ _ **"**_ _ **I need a new set of lungs,**_ _ **"**_ _ **he replied, amused.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Dude**_ _ **—**_ _ **you just ran like 13 miles in 30 minutes.**_ _ **"**_

 _ **Steve laughed.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Guess I got a late start.**_ _ **"**_

 _ **The man chuckled.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap**_ _ **—**_ _ **did you just take it? I assume you just took it.**_ _ **"**_

Tony grinned. "I kind of like this guy," he declared. "Cap — what's his name? You need to introduce me sometime."

Steve sighed. "Tony, I told you, I have _no idea_ who he is."

Clint's brow furrowed. "That's just weird," he muttered. "You seriously don't know? This whole thing, it never happened?"

Steve shook his head.

"Weird," Clint repeated.

" _ **What unit you with?**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve questioned.**_

" _ **58th Pararescue. Now I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m working down at the VA.**_ _ **"**_ _ **The man held up his arm, and Steve grabbed it, pulling him up.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Sam Wilson,**_ _ **"**_ _ **the man said.**_

"Ah, so _that_ _'_ _s_ who he is," Tony said, grinning. He glanced at Steve. "Still nothing?"

"I told you," Steve sighed, "I don't remember any of this. I've barely had time to leave the tower since the New York incident — I'm sure I'd remember something like this."

" _ **Steve Rogers.**_ _ **"**_

" _ **I kind of put that together,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Sam replied. He was still panting, evidently exhausted by the run.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Must have freaked you out, coming home after the whole defrosting thing.**_ _ **"**_

Steve lowered his head, hoping the others hadn't seen the grief that had flittered across his face. He hid it well, but sometimes, it was just _hard_ to pretend that everything was okay. He'd died — or at least he'd thought he had, and then he'd woken up, and everything was gone. His whole life, gone, and there was a new one to replace it that he just couldn't get used to, no matter how hard he tried. And Peggy, and Bucky — god, he _missed_ them. He missed them so much, and he couldn't help but think of the terror on Bucky's face as he'd fallen, or imagine Peggy, old and frail. Was she still alive? He was afraid to ask, and afraid of what he'd do — what he'd _say_ _—_ if she was.

He swallowed, composed himself, and glanced back at the television. No one seemed to notice anything off, but from the corner of his eye, he saw Natasha staring at him. He stared pointedly at the screen.

" _ **It takes some getting used to. It**_ _ **'**_ _ **s good to meet you Sam.**_ _ **"**_

 _ **Steve turned, and started to walk away.**_

" _ **It**_ _ **'**_ _ **s your bed, right?**_ _ **"**_ _ **Sam called after him.**_

 _ **Steve paused, and turned.**_ _ **"**_ _ **What**_ _ **'**_ _ **s that?**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Your bed, it**_ _ **'**_ _ **s too soft. When I was over there, I**_ _ **'**_ _ **d sleep on the ground, use rocks for pillows, like a caveman. Now I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m home, lying in my bed, and it**_ _ **'**_ _ **s like**_ _ **…"**_

" _ **Lying on a marshmallow,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve finished.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Feels like I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m going to sink right through the floor.**_ _ **"**_

 _ **Sam smiled, and nodded.**_

Steve noticed the sympathetic glances, and quickly shook his head.

"Don't," he said, softly. "I'm getting used to it, I really am. It's — difficult sometimes, but it's getting better."

It wasn't a _complete_ lie — he was doing a lot better than he had been when he'd first arrived. But this world was still so new, and Steve still had a lot to get used to.

' _I guess I have plenty of time,_ _'_ he thought.

" _ **How long?**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Two tours,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Sam replied.**_

 _ **Steve nodded.**_

" _ **You must miss the good old days, huh?**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Well**_ _ **…"**_ _ **Steve smiled slightly.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Things aren**_ _ **'**_ _ **t so bad**_ _ **…**_ _ **food**_ _ **'**_ _ **s a lot better**_ _ **…**_ _ **we used to boil everything. No polios good**_ _ **…"**_

Tony let out a snort. "Wow Cap, you can be a funny guy when you want to be."

Steve shrugged. He glanced back at the television, and decided he could sort of understand why his alternative self seemed to like this Sam fellow — he understood the horrors of war.

(And yes, this was all still quite unnerving, but so far nothing too embarrassing or strange had occurred).

"… _ **internet. So helpful. Been reading that a lot, trying to catch up.**_ _ **"**_

 _ **Sam grinned.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Maven Gaye, 1972, Trouble Man soundtrack. Everything you missed, jammed into one album.**_ _ **"**_

" _ **I**_ _ **'**_ _ **ll put it on the list.**_ _ **"**_ _ **The camera moved, giving them a glimpse of said list.**_

"Star Wars," Tony read, and then grinned. "Or 'War In The Stars," as Steve here would say."

Clint stared. "War In The Stars?" he repeated incredulously.

Bruce let out an amused chuckle, and gazed sympathetically at Steve, who was bright red and clearly embarrassed. "Don't worry, it was a mistake."

" _War In The Stars?!_ _"_ Clint repeated, grinning widely. Natasha let out a snort of amusement.

"Let's just keep watching," Steve interjected, ducking his head in embarrassment.

 _ **Steve**_ _ **'**_ _ **s phone began to ring. He glanced at it, and then at Sam.**_

" _ **Alright Sam, duty calls,**_ _ **"**_ _ **he said.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Thanks for the run, if that**_ _ **'**_ _ **s what you want to call running.**_ _ **"**_

 _ **Sam grinned.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Ooh, is that how it is?**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Oh, that**_ _ **'**_ _ **s how it is,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve replied teasingly.**_

 _ **Sam laughed.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Okay. Anytime you wanna stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know.**_ _ **"**_

" _ **I**_ _ **'**_ _ **ll keep it in mind,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve replied, and then began to walk away. As he did, a car pulled up on the road in front of him. The window went down, and Natasha was revealed to be sitting on the other side.**_

Natasha stiffened, her eyes immediately narrowing.

Steve glanced at her. "Never happened?"

"Never happened," she confirmed, her voice tense.

" _ **Hey fellas,**_ _ **"**_ _ **she said,**_ _ **"**_ _ **either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m here to pic up a fossil.**_ _ **"**_

" _ **That**_ _ **'**_ _ **s hilarious,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve responded, getting into the car.**_

" _ **Hey, how you doing?**_ _ **"**_ _ **Sam called to Natasha.**_

 _ **Natasha smirked.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Hey.**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Can**_ _ **'**_ _ **t run anywhere,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve called to Sam.**_

 _ **Sam grinned back.**_ _ **"**_ _ **No you can**_ _ **'**_ _ **t,**_ _ **"**_ _ **he replied, amused.**_

 _ **The window went up, and the car drove away.**_

Natasha reached for the remote and paused the movie. Her entire form was still. Clint glanced at her, his expression concerned.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Steve was right," she said, her eyes narrowed. "None of this has ever happened. I've never spoken to that man before, and I've never picked Steve up from that location before."

"But that was definitely you guys," Tony pointed out.

"So we're watching events that have never happened," Bruce murmured thoughtfully.

"Or events that haven't happened yet." When everyone turned to stare at him, Tony shrugged. "Well, it's one possible explanation isn't it? How else do you explain this?" He gestured at the screen. "And it all seems pretty spot on — Steve, his usual all-America, goody-two shoes, grandpa self; Natasha in her usual sexy, deadpan glory, and…well, no idea about that Sam guy, but I'm sure he's spot on too."

That sounded pretty accurate. From what he'd seen, his movie-self seemed identical to how he really was, both physically and personality-wise. And from Natasha's expression, she thought the same thing about her counterpart.

"So what do we do now?" Clint questioned. "Do we just keep watching?"

Steve glanced at the television. If what Tony said was right — if they really were seeing events that had yet to occur — he wasn't sure what to expect. And there was still the question of how the disc had made it's way into his room.

"Let's keep watching," Natasha decided. "I think I want to know where this is going — that's me up there, and I don't like not knowing."

"Great, because I was planning on continuing to watch, regardless of what you guys decided," Tony declared cheerfully. "And by the way, has anyone seen Thor? He is seriously missing out right now. Anyway — back to the future!"

Bruce groaned, and Tony shot him a cheerful grin, before reaching for the remote.

…

 **AN:**

… **Thor will be coming soon** **…** **as soon as I work out a way to bring him in xD Dammit, I should have just had all the Avengers together at the beginning xD But anyway, I want them all here for this, so I** **'** **ll figure something out** **…**

 **Tell me what you think! Hopefully you enjoyed this, and everyone remained in character.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**The scene changed. There was a group inside, looking at a screen.**_

" _ **Target is a mobile satellite launch platform,**_ _ **"**_ _ **a man, closest to the screen, reported.**_ _ **"**_ _ **The Lumarian Star. They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them, 93 minutes ago.**_ _ **"**_

"Okay, this is _really_ weird," Clint said, shaking his head. "We're watching all this stuff, and it almost feels like I'm watching home videos or something — and then I remember that none of this has even happened."

Steve raised one eyebrow. "You think that's bad? It's _me_ on that screen."

"And me," Natasha added.

Clint shrugged. "Well, I hope to god I don't end up on there."

"Same here," Tony piped in, while Bruce shrugged lightly.

" _ **Any demands?**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve asked.**_

" _ **Billion and a half,**_ _ **"**_ _ **the man replied.**_

" _ **Why so steep?**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Because it**_ _ **'**_ _ **s S.H.I.E.L.D**_ _ **'**_ _ **s.**_ _ **"**_

" _ **So it**_ _ **'**_ _ **s not off-course , it**_ _ **'**_ _ **s trespassing.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve shot a glance at Natasha.**_

" _ **I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m sure they have a good reason,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Natasha replied.**_

" _ **Yeah, I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m getting a little tired of being Fury**_ _ **'**_ _ **s janitor,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve retorted.**_

Tony snorted in amusement. "I'm trying to imagine Cap in a janitors outfit," he said, grinning. "Might be an upgrade from the old blue suit."

"I don't know — his outfit looks pretty damn good over there." Natasha gestured at the screen. Steve couldn't help but notice that, despite her seemingly light tone, her gaze still seemed more than a little wary. He didn't blame her; this still felt completely off. And he had no idea about what would be popping up on that screen — what if he saw something he didn't like? Or what if someone got hurt?

' _At the very least, I_ _'_ _d have the chance to change it,_ _'_ he thought, but he still felt unsettled. Wouldn't that be too easy? Surely there'd be more to it…

He sighed, and glanced back at the screen.

" _ **Relax it**_ _ **'**_ _ **s not that complicated,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Natasha replied, sounding amused.**_

 _ **Steve glanced at the man.**_ _ **"**_ _ **How many pirates?**_ _ **"**_

" _ **25\. Top mercs, led by this guy.**_ _ **"**_ _ **An image appeared on the screen.**_ _ **"**_ _ **Georges Bartoc. Ex-DGSE, Action Division. He**_ _ **'**_ _ **s at the top of Interpol**_ _ **'**_ _ **s Red Notice. Before the French demobilised him, he had 36 kill missions. This guy**_ _ **'**_ _ **s got a rep for maximum casualties.**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Hostages?**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Um**_ _ **…**_ _ **mostly techs. One officer - Jasper Sitwell**_ _ **—"**_ _ **An image of Sitwell popped up on the screen.**_ _ **"**_ _ **They**_ _ **'**_ _ **re in the gallery.**_ _ **"**_

" _ **What**_ _ **'**_ _ **s Sitwell doing on a launch ship? Alright, I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m going to sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, you kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow you sweep aft, find the hostages. Get**_ _ **'**_ _ **em to the lifepods, get**_ _ **'**_ _ **em out.**_ _ **"**_

"Rumlow?" Tony questioned, his brow furrowing.

"The man who had been speaking earlier," Natasha replied. "He's an agent."

"Huh." Tony thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Never heard of the guy."

" _ **Right, you heard the cap - gear up!**_ _ **"**_ _ **someone called out.**_

 _ **There was a scene change. Outside, the Quinjet was moving. The wind was howling, the rain starting to pick up. The Quinjet paused, and then sped up as it moved through the clouds.**_

 _ **The scene changed, moving back into the inside of the ship.**_

" _ **Secure channel seven,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve said.**_

" _ **Channel secure,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Natasha replied.**_ _ **"**_ _ **You do anything fun Saturday night?**_ _ **"**_ _ **she asked Steve.**_

"Ooh, _do_ tell," Tony said, grinning.

Steve flushed slightly. "It's nothing," he replied.

Tony's eyebrow raised. "I'm sorry, I thought Natasha was asking future-Steve what he did on Saturday, not present-Steve."

"Future-Natasha," Clint corrected.

"What?"

"Future-Natasha," he repeated. "It's future-Natasha who's asking, not Natasha."

"…Okay, now you're just trying to confuse me," Tony complained.

" _ **Well, all the guys from my barber shop quartet are dead so**_ _ **—**_ _ **no, not really.**_ _ **"**_

Steve's lips twitched slightly. There was a slight pang at the reminder of how much had changed in such a short period of time, but there was also a sense of relief; his future-self was clearly able to joke about it.

Tony snorted. "Wow Capsicle, you can be a funny guy when you want to be."

 _ **Natasha grinned.**_

" _ **Coming up over the drop zone Cap,**_ _ **"**_ _ **a voice called out.**_

" _ **You know, if you ask Kristen out from statistics, she**_ _ **'**_ _ **d probably say yes,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Natasha told him.**_

Steve bit back a groan, as Tony jerked forward.

"Kristen? Who's Kristen?" Tony demanded.

"From statistics," Clint replied, his lips twitching.

"Oh come on!" Tony moaned. "I want to know who the future Mrs. Rogers is."

"There _is_ no 'future Mrs. Rogers'," Steve shot back, flushing. "Especially since I don't even know who 'Kristen' is."

"Oh I don't know Steve, Kristen seems like a nice girl," Natasha said in amusement, her lips twitching.

"Maybe we should keep watching," Bruce suggested, clearly sensing Steve's embarrassment, and taking pity on him.

" _ **That**_ _ **'**_ _ **s why I don**_ _ **'**_ _ **t ask.**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Too shy, or too scared?**_ _ **"**_

" _ **Too busy,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve replied, before jumping out of the jet.**_

 _ **Rumlow and another man walked to the edge, and watched as he disappeared.**_

" _ **Is he wearing a parachute?**_ _ **"**_ _ **the man asked.**_

" _ **No,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Rumlow replied,**_ _ **"**_ _ **no he wasn**_ _ **'**_ _ **t.**_ _ **"**_

Bruce blinked, shocked. "You can jump out of a _jet_ without wearing a parachute?" he asked incredulously.

Steve shrugged. "Blame the serum."

"Well, next time we need someone to fall out of the sky, we know who to turn to," Tony commend cheerily. "Hey Clint, pause the movie, will you? So guys — what do you think?"

"About?" Steve asked.

"About _this._ _"_ Tony gestured at the screen. "About all of this! Come on, we all know that Natasha is _dying_ to say something right now. And there has been more than one occasion that Capsicle has looked so shocked that his dentures were at risk of falling out…"

"Tony," Bruce said reproachfully.

"It's fine — we all know he can't function without his bad jokes," Steve replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hey!" Tony protested, "my jokes are great! I'll have you know, I'm always the life of the party!"

"I still find this really strange," Steve continued, ignoring him. "And I'm sure Natasha does too. It's…weird, seeing myself up there, when I know that I haven't experienced any of this."

He glanced at Natasha, who nodded. "I'm still not sure what to think about this," she said. "But…that's definitely me up there. And Tony's theory makes sense — if we don't remember any of this happening, it's likely that this _is_ stuff that hasn't happened yet. And that could be…useful."

Bruce nodded. "That's true," he said. "We could use this to our advantage."

"I thought you weren't supposed to mess with the future?" Clint inquired, raising one eyebrow. "It's pretty much what they say in any science-fiction movie ever."

"That's all well and good," Steve replied, "but if someone dies, then I'm not just going to sit back and let it happen. If something goes wrong, I'm not just going watch as it all pans out. I'm going to do something to stop it — and I think all of you guys would too."

There was a slight pause, and then everyone nodded their heads. Steve nodded towards the remote.

"Let's get back to it then."

 _ **Steve was falling through the sky**_ _ **—**_ _ **the camera panned out, showing a clear view of the ship. A man was waling across the ship**_ _ **—**_ _ **Steve jumped right behind him. He grabbed the man, holding him in a headlock. He then ran across the ship, throwing his shield. It hit two people, taking them out. He kept running. Other men came towards him, and he fought them too, taking them all out.**_

"Impressive," Natasha commented, her lips curving.

Steve shifted, embarrassed.

 _ **A man with a knife came towards Steve. Steve easily took him out, and then threw the knife, which imbedded itself in the man**_ _ **'**_ _ **s hand. The man let out a scream.**_

"Ugh," Tony muttered, looking away. "That looks fucking _painful._ _"_

"That's because it probably is," Natasha told him, smirking slightly.

 _ **Steve jumped over the railings of the ship, and took out two more men with his shield. A man with a gun came running from behind him, yelling at him. The man was taken out a moment later, and Rumlow parachuted down.**_

"That was close," Bruce breathed.

"No way Steve is going to die this early in the movie," Clint replied. "Somehow I don't think whoever intended for us to watch this wanted us to see a few minutes of Steve making new friends, chatting with Nat, and fighting a few bad guys. There's something on here that we need to see, and it hasn't happened yet."

"Wonder what it is," Tony murmured, and Steve had similar thoughts.

" _ **Thanks,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve said.**_

" _ **Yeah**_ _ **—**_ _ **seemed pretty helpless without me,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Rumlow replied.**_

Tony snorted. "Yeah, he seemed _really_ helpless."

 _ **Natasha parachuted down.**_

Natasha stiffened ever so slightly. It was evident that she had yet to grow accustomed to seeing her future counterpart on the screen.

" _ **What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you? She seems kind of nice.**_ _ **"**_

Bruce turned to Natasha, giving her an amused smile. "Sure that's the best moment for that kind of talk?"

Natasha shrugged. "Technically I haven't said anything yet." She paused, and then shot Steve an amused smirk. "But I'm sure that nurse is lovely."

Steve shrugged, blushing. "I'm sure she is. Doesn't mean I'm interested in dating her though."

"But it's a _nurse!_ _"_ Tony interjected. "Can you imagine the _uniform?!_ _"_

Clint stared. "…You _do_ realise that nurse's don't actually dress like that, right?"

" _ **Secure the room, then find me a date,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Steve retorted.**_

" _ **I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m multi-tasking,**_ _ **"**_ _ **Natasha replied, before jumping over the railings.**_

"Friends!" boomed a loud voice. It was so sudden, that they all jumped (except for Natasha who, unsurprisingly, looked like she had expected it), and Tony actually dropped the remote.

"What the — _Thor!_ _"_ he exclaimed. "What have I told you about sneaking up on us?!"

Tony hurriedly paused the movie, just as it had changed to a different scene. From the looks of it, it included the hostages that had been mentioned earlier. Thor glanced at the television with mild curiosity, and then down at his fellow teammates.

"Lady Jane told me about these strange artefacts!" he exclaimed delightedly. "They are called 'movies', are they not?"

They all exchanged glances. Bruce coughed, glancing downwards, and Clint let out a snort of amusement.

"Is this your first movie?" he asked, grinning. "If so, you're in for a treat. It's all about Steve."

Thor glanced at Steve curiously, and then back at the television.

"Indeed?" he inquired.

Steve sighed. "Why don't we update you on what's been happening?" he suggested.


	4. Chapter 4

"…And so these 'movies' allow us a glimpse into the future!" Thor clamped his hands with enthusiasm. "How marvellous! I do not understand how Lady Jane forgot to tell me of this!"

Tony sighed. "Thor, seriously buddy, movies are not weird fortune-telling devices — _this_ particular one, for some strange reason — "

"I must tell Father at once! These would be of great aid during times of war!"

"No they wouldn't, because — "

"Ahh!" Clint held up a hand, stopping Tony mid-sentence. "You know, that sounds like a great idea. Make sure to mention "Fifty Shades of Grey", alright? It's great, really, _so_ helpful during war…"

Thor nodded knowingly. "Yes — about the different sides of war, I assume?"

Clint nodded sagely. Natasha sighed and rolled her eyes.

Steve's brow furrowed. "Tony, didn't you tell me to put that on my list?"

"Uh-huh, that I did. You'll love it Capsicle — but enough of that, we can save it for the next movie night. Let's get back to this little gem!"

"Easy for you to say," Steve sighed. "It isn't you up there."

"Yet," Bruce interjected.

Tony shrugged. "Eh, I can handle it. How bad can it be?"

He grabbed the remote, and the television screen came back to life.

 _ **The hostages sat to the floor, tied together. The camera moved, focusing on the face of a familiar looking man.**_

"Jasper Sitwell," Natasha murmured.

"They mentioned him earlier, didn't they?" Bruce inquired, and Natasha nodded.

 _ **"You want a bullet in your head?" a man growled, pointing his gun.**_

 _ **The scene changed, focusing on Steve. He was running, jumping over railings. He fired a device, which attached to the wall. Batroc's voice could be heard, as he spoke in French to another person.**_

 _ **There was a scene change. A man put a phone down and turned. Natasha was standing right behind him.**_

 _ **"Hi sailor," she said.**_

 _ **She swiftly kicked him in the leg. The man went down, screaming in pain. Natasha wrapped a cord around his neck, swung him, and jumped to the floor. The man's head hit a nearby railing.** _

"Holy shit, you are _good,"_ Tony breathed. "Why the hell are you so good?"

Natasha shot him an amused glance.

"Your skills are indeed impressive," Thor complemented her, beaming.

 _ **Natasha went over the railing and dropped down. Guns started to fire as she moved. She stopped mid-air; men turned to look at her, and she shot them.** _

Tony winced. "Ouch. Glad I'm not them."

The rest of the room seemed to share this sentiment.

 _ **The scene changed. A group of men were walking towards the edge of the boat, and jumping off. They hit the side of the boat, and start walking along it.**_

 _ **The scene changed again, this time briefly showing them a man removing a pack from his back.**_

 _ **They were briefly shown the men on the boat again, before the scene changed bak to the man with the pack. He placed a device on the door, while Rumlow stood behind him, holding a gun.**_

 _ **The scene changed, to show Steve, hiding behind a wall and watching two men standing by the window.**_

 _ **The scene changed, back to Rumlow and the other S.H.I.E.L.D agent. "Target acquired," the man said.**_

 _ **"Strike in position," Rumlow replied.**_

"What, they're going to blow the door down?" Tony asked, his brow furrowed.

Natasha shrugged. "Most likely," she replied.

"You know, not that this isn't great and everything but…why exactly do we need to watch this?" Clint's brow furrowed. "We've been on S.H.I.E.L.D missions before. We know how things work. So what's the point?"

"Steve seems to be the focus so far," Bruce pointed out.

"Yeah, but watching Rumlow blow a door up? Why do we need to see that?"

"Just keep watching," Natasha sighed. "I'm sure all your questions will be answered soon." She didn't sound too enthusiastic about this.

Steve continued to watch the screen warily. Bruce was right; so far, this movie had seemed to mainly focus on him, and he knew, sooner or later, his future-self would be back.

 _ **The scene changed, back to Steve. "Natasha, what's your status?" he called.**_

 _ **The scene changed, as Natasha dropped the ceiling. She started to run.**_

 _ **"Hang on!" she called back.**_

 _ **She jumped onto a man, sending several bolts of electricity into him. He fell, and Natasha hit the floor. She rolled to her feet. Another man came running around the corner. Natasha jerked his arm upwards, and he screamed in agony.**_

Everyone in the room, save for Natasha, let out a series of winces. Tony absently rubbed his arm.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "The guy was asking for it."

"How do you know? You haven't even done it yet!" Tony grumbled.

 _ **Natasha dropped to her feet, kicking her legs out, and knocking the man to the floor. The man fell. Natasha leapt upwards, and kicked her leg out, hitting another man. She grabbed onto the man's neck and flipped her entire body upwards, before bringing it down in one fluid movement. The man was tossed unceremoniously onto the floor. Natasha jumped gracefully back to her feet.**_

Several jaws were hanging open. Clint, who looked entirely unsurprised, shot Natasha a proud smile. Everyone else looked utterly stunned.

"I knew you were good," Steve murmured, staring at the screen with wide eyes, "but it sure is something, seeing you in action like that."

"Yeah," Tony said, his eyes equally wide. "Those are some seriously impressive moves. Some seriously impressive, painful moves."

Natasha shrugged. "I've had training," she replied, and then glanced at the screen. Tony shook his head, muttering about "weird Russian ninjas", but soon he and the others had followed her lead.

 ** _"Engine room secure," Natasha reported. The man on the floor began to wake up. Natasha grabbed a pipe, slamming it across his head. The man dropped to the floor, unconscious._**

 ** _Natasha walked off._**

 ** _The scene changed, showing the room with the hostages. Sitwell was staring forward. A man started to speak, and Sitwell glanced at him._**

 ** _The scene changed. "On my mark," Steve began._**

 ** _The scene changed again, showing Rumlow, standing with his gun. Steve's voice could be heard: "3…2…1."_**

 ** _Guns started firing, and the door exploded. It fell to the floor. The men inside turned to stare. Rumlow hit one of the Captors with his gun, and the man fell to the floor. The hostages looked on._**

 ** _"I told you," Sitwell said. "SHIELD doesn't negotiate."_ **

"I feel like I should be cheering right now," Clint commented. "…Except I never really liked Sitwell much."

Tony nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he has this air about him, doesn't he? The kind of guy you'd like to punch in the face."

 _ **The scene changed. Batroc and another man were talking.**_

 _ **Steve suddenly appeared in the distance, and threw his shield. It shattered the glass; the men ducked down. The shield embedded itself in the wall.**_

"Ooh, the action is about to start!" Tony exclaimed gleefully, rubbing his hands together.

Steve shifted nervously. He still couldn't get over how strange this felt. He didn't like the feeling of watching things that had yet to happen — things that he seemed to be at the centre of — with no idea how they would progress.

 ** _Steve climbed aboard the ship. Batroc kicked him, and ran out of the room. Steve stared at him for a moment, before grabbing his shield, and following._**

 ** _The scene changed, showing Rumlow walking down a corridor. Sitwell followed close behind._**

 ** _"Hostages en route to extraction," Rumlow reported._**

 ** _The scene changed again, showing Steve running down a flight of steps._**

 ** _"Romanov missed the rendezvous, cap," a voice reported over the comm. "Hostiles still at play."_**

 ** _"Natasha," Steve said. "Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow, protect the hostages." There was no reply. "Natasha!" he repeated._**

"What's she doing?" Steve muttered, staring warily at the screen.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Calm down," she told him. "I'm sure I'm fine."

 _ **Suddenly Batroc jumped out. Steve lifted his shield to defend himself, and the man's foot hit the shield. Steve rolled backwards, and jumped to his feet. The man leaped again. His foot hit the shield, and Steve fell backwards. The man flipped. Steve's legs quickly jerked apart, and the man's foot narrowly missed his crotch.**_

A series of groans erupted around the room.

"Fuck, that was close," Clint muttered, grimacing.

 _ **Steve jumped to his feet, and the man hit him again. Steve rolled backwards, and jumped to his feet. He and the man continued to fight. He then hit the man with his shield, sending him flying backwards. The man flipped back onto his feet.**_

 _ **The man ran forward, punching and kicking. Steve continued to defend himself using the shield. Steve attempted to subdue the man, who flipped out of his way. They stood still, staring at each other, both panting hard.**_

"Dammit, why can't these guys just stay down?!" Tony exclaimed incredulously.

 _ **Steve placed his shield on his back, removed his cowl, and stared at the man.**_

Thor cocked his head to the side, confused. "What…are you doing?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah Steve, now really isn't the time to put your shield away," Clint told him, slightly incredulous.

 _ **He dropped the cowl to the floor.**_

 _ **The man came running towards Steve. Steve blocked all his punches, and they continued to fight for a moment. Steve took a swing, and clipped the man's face. He then kicked the man, sending him flying backwards, and onto the floor. The man lay on the floor for a moment, and then rolled back up slowly. He climbed unsteadily to his feet.**_

 _ **Steve ran towards the man again. He grabbed him, and ran backwards. They both went crashing through a door. Steve punched the man in the face, and at last he stayed down.**_

 _ **"Oh this is awkward." Steve glanced up — Natasha stood near a series of computers.**_

Natasha's lips quirked. "Told you I'd be fine."

Bruce squinted. "You were here the whole time?"

She shrugged. "Apparently. I mean, I don't know, obviously, but I'm probably doing what I'm supposed to be doing."

"I thought the job was to get the hostages out?" Steve asked, frowning.

 _ **"What are you doing?" Steve asked her.**_

 _ **"Backing up the hard drive," Natasha replied. "It's a good habit to get into."**_

 _ **Steve glanced at the man on the floor, before walking over to Natasha.**_

 _ **"Rumlow needed your help. What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.**_

 _ **He glanced at the screens. A series of files were being downloaded.**_

 _ **"You're saving shield intel."**_

 _ **"Whatever I can get my hands on," Natasha replied.**_

 _ **"Our mission is to rescue hostages!" Steve snapped.**_

"Didn't we just have this conversation?" Tony muttered.

 _ **"No, that's your mission," Natasha retorted. Her eyes remained glued to the screen. She pulled out the usb, and turned to face Steve. "And you've done it beautifully."**_

"Ooh," Tony muttered. "Feel the sting."

Steve frowned. "So what, Fury assigned you a different mission than the rest of us? Without telling anyone?"

Natasha sighed. "He does that all the time."

"Doesn't make it right," Steve shot back. "How are we supposed to function as a team if we don't even know what everyone was supposed to be doing?!"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Oh would you calm down? Everything clearly went fine — the hostages are out, and we've got the intel we need. Now stop asking me about things I haven't even done yet."

Steve sighed and glanced away.

 _ **She tried to walk past Steve. He grabbed her arm before she could walk away.**_

 _ **"You've just jeopardised this whole operation," he told her angrily.**_

 _ **"I think that's overstating things," Natasha replied.**_

"Seriously, stop glaring at the screen," Natasha muttered, nudging Steve with her shoulder. "This is just how SHIELD operates. Get used to it."

"Can we just keep watching?" Bruce suggested. "We can figure this out when it's done — and remember, none of this has happened yet. There's no point in arguing about this now."

Steve hesitated, and then nodded. Natasha shrugged.

 _ **At that exact the moment Batroc got up from the floor, and started running towards the door. He threw a grenade at them as he ran, which Steve quickly knocked away with his shield.**_

 _ **Steve grabbed Natasha, and the two of them threw themselves out a nearby window as the grenade went off. The window shattered as they went through it, and they landed on the ground on the other side.**_

 _ **They sat up, both leaning against the wall. Natasha let out a groan of pain.**_

 _ **"Okay. That one's on me," she admitted, gasping.**_

Tony snorted. Natasha shot him a small glare.

 ** _Steve closed his eyes, clearly frustrated. "You're damn right," he snapped._**

 ** _He got up, and walked away. Natasha watched after him, and rolled her eyes._**

Tony paused the movie.

"So…" He glanced at Natasha and Steve, his eyebrows raised. "Apparently there's conflict in the future."

"Let's just keep watching," Steve replied. "If someone wants to watch this, that can't be the only reason. There has to be something else, something that affects us all."

"And this device will tell us exactly what we need to emerge triumphant!" Thor announced. "It is quite weapon."

"Yeah. And also, blackmail — you've got to love all the blackmail opportunities," Tony interjected.

Steve glared.

Natasha grabbed the remote from Tony, and pointed it at the television.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" she suggested.


End file.
